Improve your mood, strengthen your muscles, clarify your mind, and energize your spirit!

My 45 minutes outside in the brisk air motivates me for my entire day. All the tools you need you already have. The choice to begin will be the obstacle that rewards you with opportunity!

Choose movement you find to be the most effective, efficient, and adaptable for you today.

Two word mantra for today: Just Move! Jab the obstacle and feel the love! Spread the word! To your health...

My most resistant area to shape up on my body are my thighs! Being a sprinter and basketball player for a good chunk of my life, I knew I would always have muscle in this area but keeping it toned was another story. I have found specific exercises to target the muscles on the outer thigh, inner thigh, and buttocks that are very effective. In addition to at least 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 5 times a week, these are the exercises that help me stay toned:
1.  Side jumps: Jump back and forth laterally with your feet together for 1 minute. Soft knees and easy landing. Repeat twice.
2.  Lateral leg raises. Standing, raise your leg laterally. Hold at the top and lower slowly. 20 reps. Switch legs. Repeat 1-2 times.
3.  Leg circles. Lay on your back. Raise one leg into the air and trace a small circle with your foot. Clockwise for 10 reps then repeat counterclockwise for 10. Switch to the other leg. Repeat 1-2 times.  
4.  Squats. I think you know what these are. Make sure to stick your rear out to keep your back flat and push up through your heels. This will target the back of the leg and buttocks most effectively. 12 reps. Repeat 3 times.
5.  Reverse Lunges.  Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Step back with one foot and and lunge into the front leg. Keep you knee over your foot and practice good technique as to not pressure the knee. 12 reps. Switch legs. Repeat 1-2 times.

Toning is an essential part of a physical regimen. We each have that area on our bodies where fat is more readily stored depending upon your body type. Recognize this and target toning exercises to work this area a little more than the rest. Know your body to best take care of it. For women, it is healthy and natural to store added fat on the thighs;  Much more than on the stomach. Added cushion at the thigh area is often a sign of balanced hormones for a woman. Embrace your body and know where to target just a little bit more than the rest. Hope this helps! Empowered, Individualized Choices...To your health!

Iron is necessary to ensure oxygen delivery to every cell in your body. Do you have low energy? Feel tired? Have trouble sleeping? Are you replenishing your iron stores to ensure you have oxygen for times of stress and illness? I do not have to explain why our bodies need oxygen. Low levels can manifest slowly as headaches, sexual dysfunction, irritability, swelling of the tongue, brittle nails, and lack luster hair to just name a few.

Iron can be obtained from your diet. Some examples of dietary sources include: red meat, lima beans, kale, spinach, watermelon, beets, prunes, clams, almonds, and chlorophyll. Check with your doctor if you need further supplementation.

Keep in mind just like any food you can consume it but are you absorbing the necessary nutrients? The tannins in tea, polyphenols on coffee, phosphates in soda, and calcium if taken within two hours of an iron supplement all impair iron absorption.

You subsequently can also increase iron absorption by combining foods rich in vitamin C (tomatoes, peppers, green veggies, citrus fruits) with iron rich foods.

I routinely boost my iron stores. Sometimes in the winter my lips crack in the corners. When I consciously increase my iron intake, I am able to avoid this. Women especially need to be aware of the benefits of iron very month. Your immune system will thank you. Prevention is the treatment!

One other tidbit I wish I knew earlier is if you aren't ensuring oxygen stores you will burn carbohydrates first instead of fat during exercise as it takes less oxygen to burn carbs. If you are exercising for weight loss ensure your body has plenty of iron.

Oxygen, oxygen, oxygen! The key to optimal wellness :)

A bit of information, to your health! Explore Iron! Questions welcome!